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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28798170">After race</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cigarettesandalcohol/pseuds/cigarettesandalcohol'>cigarettesandalcohol</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Biathlon RPF, Sports RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:14:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>543</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28798170</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cigarettesandalcohol/pseuds/cigarettesandalcohol</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Don't do that."<br/>"What?"<br/>"That thing. With your eyes."<br/>Fabien smiled under his face mask, and his eyebrows rose up a little, making his expression look even more innocent as if his whole existence was nothing but rainbow clouds of fluff and loving care.<br/>"That's what I'm talking about. You're doing it again."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Émilien Jacquelin/Fabien Claude</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>After race</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He actually loved how caring and protective Fabien was after each race they've been through together. It involved a regular checkup on his well-being before and after the race itself, a hug behind the finish line, taking off the skis for him, and carrying them as if he wasn't capable of doing it himself. Then there was the constant reassuring, even after a fucked up stage at men's relay, that everything was gonna be fine. Fabien would text him from the other room; he would bring him tea and biscuits to his room, breaking the strict rules about social distancing between team members who weren't roommates; he would always bring the chocolate ones that Émilien loved and invite him over to his and Antonine's room for a movie or a FIFA game.</p><p>Émilien loved this kind of care, and not only when he was at the receiving end - he watched Fab interact with his brothers and it felt just as heartwarming. There was something inspiring in the way they cared about each other and stuck together through thick and thin. Émilien knew that Fabien was the middle child, funnily enough also the most successful - but he would never choose sporting success over his family. Or his friends. And teammates.</p><p><em>Or Émilien</em>.</p><p>Whenever there was a race that went exceptionally well for Fabien - and Jacquelin had noticed this a couple of times over the months - and that made his younger teammate look like a loser, Fabien never seemed to be really happy with his result. He was always more concerned about Émilien's mood than about the result he's just achieved. Even after a good race like the one they've just finished, Fabien's first thought seemed to always be reserved for other French racers.</p><p>"You did so well today," he said, patting him on the shoulder. "You didn't give Johannes a chance."</p><p>"Don't do <em>that</em>."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"<em>That</em> thing. With your eyes."</p><p>Fabien smiled under his face mask, and his eyebrows rose up a little, making his expression look even more innocent as if his whole existence was nothing but rainbow clouds of fluff and loving care.</p><p>"That's what I'm talking about. You're doing it again."</p><p>"I really don't know what you're talking about."</p><p>Émilien shook his head, unable to watch that blissfully unaware expression of Claude any longer. He's glad that at least now Fabien was wearing the mask that made his expression a tiny bit less lovable but his eyes were still pretty much the same. There was no way the soft warmth in them could be toned down, and Émilien didn't really mind it, especially when he knew that his own flushed cheeks could easily be blamed on the race and weather, not on his teammate.</p><p>What couldn't be blamed on anything else was the way his heart fluttered and felt like melting when confronted with Fabien's gaze. Some things never changed; not even when Fabien pulled him into a tight hug. Émilien could feel his own heartbeat, and then, almost like an echo, Fabien's one.</p><p>There was nothing to be said. He knew that Fabien understands and that for a second or two, they could share a fleeting moment of happiness; a moment that none of their teammates needed to know about.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>They are soft and I love them :3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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